Of Flats and Mansions
by comehome
Summary: Naruto has nowhere to stay; Sasuke tries his best not to get involved.
1. Chapter 1

"What?! Naruto, that's horrible! You could've been crushed to death back there!"

In the quiet shadows of the forest, Sakura's genuine concern sounds very loud and very harsh. Naruto sighs and rubs the back of his head sheepishly; his face is flushed, corners of his mouth twitching, almost if unsure whether he's allowed to smile or not. Sasuke shifts on his branch and gives him a condescending look, scanning his appearance with a repulsed scowl. Naruto's clothes are torn and dirty - drenched in dust, spiderwebs, and white plaster, some of the latter stuck in his messy hair; his whole appearance is downright filthy, as if he'd been crawling on the ground instead of walking. Sakura doesn't look particularly impressed by Naruto's visage either. She grabs him by the sleeve of his jacket, forcing him to strip down to his undershirt - Sakura-chan, w-what are you doing?! - and starts checking his torso for injuries, Naruto wiggling under her touch. Sasuke sees him send a pleading look to Kakashi, who pretends to wallow in blissful ignorance, his legs stretched over a tree root nearby, nose buried in that questionable book of his.

"Sakura-chan, I'm okay, I swear! I'm not hurt! I told you - I was already looked over by the medical-nin back there!"

With an unsatisfied huff, Sakura lets Naruto go. He squirms under her piercing stare, and as he steps away from her, his face is still obviously red; when she hands him his jacket, he throws it over his shoulders, not bothering to stick his arms into the sleeves. He turns to Kakashi instead, vibrating with impatience, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"So," begins Kakashi pleasantly, his tone conversational, "ah, where have we been... right. You're telling me you're late, Naruto... because the roof of your apartment caved in?"

Naruto nods vigorously, jacket sleeves flapping everywhere around him like an extra pair of limbs. Even though Sakura risks getting slapped by the flying fabric, she stays nearby, arms folded on her chest, watching Naruto with a conflicting combination of annoyance and worry. Naruto is finally about to start talking when Sasuke decides he has had enough of the spectacle: he drops himself down from the branch and lands right next to Naruto, startling both him and Sakura, who now looks particularly irritated.

"I see you've finally learned something from our sensei, stupid," Sasuke says mockingly. Naruto stops mid-movement and scowls, clearly recognizing the insult, yet not comprehending its meaning. Satisfied with his deeds (and trying his best not to notice Sakura's annoyed stare), Sasuke stands up, stretches, and smirks, tucking his hands into the pockets.

"This," he continues nonchalantly, "is too dumb even for you, though." He pauses for a dramatic effect. "You should come up with a slightly less ridiculous excuse next time you sleep in."

Naruto growls, his eyes widening in realization and, subsequently, anger. "Are you implying that I'm lying, you bastard?" And just like that, both boys look like they're only moments away from lashing out and tackling each other to the ground. A brawl looks almost inevitable, but then Kakashi steps in between them, grabbing them by their shoulders.

"Stop it," he says calmly and they freeze on an instant; there is a silent command in his voice that they would never dare to disobey. Under his mask, Kakashi sighs. As he releases his hold, he gives Naruto a questioning stare, head tilted ever so slightly. "Naruto, are you telling me the truth?"

"Of course I am, sensei!" Naruto yelps, clearly offended. He bares his front teeth at Sasuke; when he sees that Kakashi is still watching him, he shows Sasuke his tongue instead, wrinkling his freckled nose and taking a small step back. "I was going to arrive right on time, even though I knew it wouldn't really matter cuz you always come la- OW, Sakura-chan, what was that for?! Jeez, okay, I'm sorry! As I was saying, I was already out the door and on my way, but then I heard this loud BAM sound coming from behind me, so I turned around, and I saw that - that the two upper floors of my apartment building collapsed! It was such a mess! I ran back and I helped with evacuating the people who were trapped under the ruins." Naruto is jumping around now, gesticulating wildly, his jacket hanging on his left shoulder by a thread. "Some were hurt, but there were no casualties. A chunin told me that while the house was old, this wasn't expected at all, that cave-ins are a very rare thing. So yeah! I used Kage Bushin and did some things, and as soon as I wasn't needed anymore, I ran back to you guys." He shrugs and gives Kakashi a little bow, clearly content with his story-telling abilities. Sakura shakes her head in sympathy.

"That sucks so bad," she says, nibbling on her lower lip, her voice genuinely worried. "But what are you going to do now?" When Naruto gives her an obtuse look, her features harden; she lets out a frustrated sigh and rolls her eyes. "Your apartment, Naruto! It's ruined! So tell me, where are you supposed to live?"

Obviously, Naruto's well-being is not something that Sasuke cares about, yet he still can't help but feel a little curious. Really, what's the bastard going to do now? Weren't all of his belongings inside? He was lucky he was already out the building when it fell, or the roof could have smashed him into an okonomiyaki. Not that it would be much of a shame, really. Naruto would probably be more useful and tolerable as a dish.

"Oh, right," Naruto says very slowly, the flush draining from his face. "I... well. I was in such a hurry that I kinda forgot to ask about that."

Now that is incredible. So incredible, in fact, that even Kakashi somehow manages to look mildly disappointed.

"I, uh," Naruto stutters upon feeling Sakura's desperate gaze on him, "I... I guess I'll find out later today?"

Sakura groans and hides her face in her palms. "I can't believe this," she says, voice thick with frustration. "Your home is destroyed and you don't even bother to- nevermind. Nevermind. There's no point. Naruto, you are the stupidest person I've ever seen, and that's definitely something, since I've been helping Ino to deal with customers for as long as I remember." As she turns away, Naruto guiltily dusts the filth out of his hair and sneezes twice in a row. "Kakashi-sensei, can you tell us about the mission already? I'm going to do something I'll regret if this idiot stays within my reach for one more second."

Kakashi, who is quite entertained by her little speech, doesn't even bother to hide his amusement. "Now that, Sakura," he says cheerfully, winking at her with his only visible eye, "I will do quite gladly."

* * *

The next day, Naruto is the first one to arrive at their meeting place. Sakura is second. Upon seeing him, she grills him for the yesterday - Kakashi-sensei was late for an hour, yet we still had to wait one more for you! - but takes mercy, eventually, sharing some of the fruit snacks she brought with her. Naruto looks horrible: he's obviously tired and slightly shivering, his whole appearance just as dissolved as it was the day before. When Sakura hands him an apple slice, he seems to brighten up a little, but his thank you sounds incredibly pitiful anyway - even his voice is raspy, almost as if he's coming down with something.

"Why are you still wearing this?" Sakura asks, toying with the torn hem of his sleeve. They are sitting under a tree, their backs resting against a wooden fence; the grass is still a little wet with dew, but neither of them seems to mind. "Don't you have a spare change of clothes? If not, you should get it, because these need to be washed and repaired as soon as possible. I can help you with that if you want to. And how's your new place, by the way? You look really sleepy, was the bed uncomfortable?"

Naruto doesn't answer; instead, he turns his face away from Sakura, the apple slice carefully placed in the center of his right palm. Sakura waits for a while, frowning in in confusion at the silence, and then nudges him with her elbow gently. "Naruto?"

"I, uh," he says, finally, clearly avoiding Sakura's concerned gaze, "I'm doing fine, Sakura. And thanks. You don't have to worry about me, really."

Sakura doesn't wait until he finishes his last sentence. She leans in towards him, their noses almost touching. "Naruto, are you lying to me?" He doesn't counter the accusation, so her expression turns into a frown. "You are, aren't you! Why? What's going on? Naruto, hello? Come on, talk to me!"

Naruto shakes his head silently, sulking, eyes glued to the apple slice in his hand. Sakura closes her mouth, speechless: she has never seen Naruto like this, and frankly, she never even suspected she ever will. Not only he seems deeply upset and lost in thought, her attempts to lift his mood are failing terribly; if Naruto ever got sad or angry, which wasn't often in the first place, it was always really easy to make him feel better, like the bubbly and sunny thing he is. What does this mean? Why is he acting like this? It feels so incredibly wrong, like the world she's living in suddenly took an upside-down turn. She shudders in horror at the thought. Rationally, she knows that it can't be - but if it was, what would happen next? Sasuke cracking friendly jokes left and right? Ino losing her fashion sense? Punctual, illiterate Kakashi?

Naruto sighs and her insides still at the sound; she looks at him closely, and the sight of his tired eyes makes her push all her silly thoughts away. Oh, Naruto... This is bad. What could have made you feel this way? Maybe the apartment thing really got to you, but that would be a little strange. Yesterday you didn't seem to mind that much; the only time you talked about it was when you mentioned your neighbors you helped. So why are you so upset today? Maybe you realized you left something important back there? Or perhaps it's something else?

Sakura nudges Naruto once again. When he still doesn't respond, she sighs, her chest heavy. Without fully realizing what exactly is she doing, Sakura lifts her arm and carefully rests her palm on Naruto's scarred cheek, pressing lightly.

"Look at me, Naruto," she says, her tone soft yet insistent. This is a gesture she learned from her mother: it's what she always does when Sakura is so sad that it's hard to talk without bursting into tears. Last time that happened was when Sakura had a really ugly argument with Ino, which was caused by her pent-up frustration from that day's field practice - she just couldn't wrap her head around this new jutsu Kakashi was teaching, which was an occurrence so rare it set her on the edge for the rest of the evening.

Naruto is still not responding, so she tries again. "Come on. Please?" Her voice is small now, full of worry; perhaps that's why Naruto finally looks at her, his blue eyes big and sad. She sighs and moves her hand up, stroking his head a bit awkwardly, as if she's petting a wild animal. "I'm your teammate and your friend. You look down and upset and I want to know what's bothering you, so please, can you tell me? I promise I'll do my best make you feel alright again."

Naruto seems to perk up a little, something like a smile tugging at his lips. "Am I really, Sakura-chan? Am I really your friend?"

She can't help but giggle with slight relief. "Of course you are, dummy! Come on! I gave you my apple slices, Naruto, and that's something I would do only for a person I really like."

He giggles back, blushing. Suddenly he seems to realize that one of the precious Apple Slices of Sakura's Affection and Friendship is still in his possession, so he shoves it into his mouth, chewing loudly. Sakura laughs at his blissful expression, the tightness in her chest finally disappearing; as he's munching on his snack, she starts toying with the hem of his jacket again, the happy look on her face turning into a thoughtful one.

"And hardships too," she says pensively. Naruto wipes his mouth and gives Sakura a confused look. "Those are the two things you can share only with your friends," she explains, "apple slices and hardships. That's what my dad says, anyway. I mean, he only mentioned hardships - I was the one to add the apple slices to this rule." Naruto laughs, sticking his tongue out playfully. She sticks hers out at him too, but then her soft features sharpen with worry once again. "So come on, Naruto, I wanna know. Why are you so sad today? It's about the apartment, isn't it?"

Naruto sighs for what must be a millionth time this morning. "It kinda is, Sakura-chan," he admits, scowling. "They said I can get my flat back once the repairs are done, but that's going to take at least a month. All my things are ruined, so I'll have to buy everything I need again - I couldn't afford insurance, you know." He rubs his eyes and looks at the sky, thinking. "And I kept all my savings in my room, so it's all gone too. Until we get paid at the end of the month, the only money I have is what I put in Gama-chan when I ran out the door last morning."

While he's talking, he pulls out a green frog wallet and shakes it up a little; there is a faint clinking coming from the inside, but it doesn't sound promising at all. Sakura feels her insides turn cold. Is this really happening? When Naruto told them about the cave-in, she thought that Konoha will just give him another flat, but that's apparently not the case. A month without a home and with little to no money! She hangs her head low, hopeless, the weight of the whole situation dawning on her. Naruto has nowhere to sleep and nothing to eat. He is alone; there are no parents who will stand up for him, he has no family he can turn to. The whole village hates him. Really, what the hell can he do? As she thinks about the situation, she keeps falling lower and lower into despair: there is no easy way out of this. No wonder he's been so sad. Damn it! How can this be?! He is homeless because of a stupid accident!

She doesn't realize she's crying until Naruto pulls her into a hug, pressing her head into his chest. She hugs him back, his filthy jacket muffling her sobs; she's angry at herself for being this weak, but somehow she can't seem to stop - as if Naruto's pain is now her own pain too.

You're the one who's in so much trouble, she thinks, yet I'm the one who's bawling like a child. The thought breaks her heart, but she doesn't want Naruto to know, so she focuses on her lungs instead, steadying her breath, just like her mother taught her to. She closes her eyes; Naruto smells pretty bad right now and he's still very dirty, but she doesn't really mind. She loves hugging Naruto, even though they don't do it that often at all... yet when they do, Sakura can't seem to let him go. But she can't keep clutching him forever - today she has to be stronger than she usually is. As soon as she gets a hold of herself, she moves away from him and looks straight into his bright blue eyes.

"Where did you sleep tonight?" she asks him flatly, trying her best not to burst into tears again. Naruto flinches, but manages to hold her gaze. "Tell me the truth, Naruto. I'll know if you'll lie."

"I... I was okay, Sakura-chan, really. I, well," he stutters, clearly feeling very uncomfortable with Sakura's wet eyes on him, "I slept in the forest. Ouch!"

Sakura's fingers dig into his shoulders, even though her look stays carefully blank. "In the forest? On the ground?"

"No, of course not! I was on a tree branch."

"On a tree branch?!"

"Sakura-chan, that really hurts!"

She huffs and takes her hands off his shoulders, grabbing his wrists instead. "Naruto, why didn't you come to me when you found out you have nowhere to stay?! Or... or Iruka-sensei! We could have helped you! We'd let you crash at our place! Seriously, what were you thinking, you stupid?! You spend a night in the forest! You could get seriously sick! It's so cold at night, how could you even sleep?"

Naruto frowns, lowering his gaze to their joined hands. "Sakura-chan... stop it, please. You know I couldn't ask you that. I... I know what your family thinks of me." She freezes, ready to continue arguing, but he just shakes his head. "It's okay, really, you don't have to feel bad at all - I understand. It's not your fault! But I can't come to your door and force your parents to let a Jinchūriki come into their home." Sakura feels sick at his words, eyes wet again, her cheeks heating up with shame and anger. "And Iruka-sensei... he's doing so much for me already, you know? He would just get all worried and I," he gulps and closes his eyes, "I really don't wanna be a bother."

"You're not a bother! What did I just say?! You're my friend, stupid! And Iruka-sensei loves you a lot and he would never think of you like that. What are you even saying? He'll be so angry when he finds out that you had nowhere to sleep and didn't ask him for help!"

Naruto's hold tightens around her fingers, so now it's Sakura's turn to wince. Still, she doesn't look away; she keeps staring at him sternly, unwilling to lose, lips pressed into a thin line.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto says, his voice desperate, "you can't tell Iruka-sensei, okay? Please, promise me that. I don't want him to know."

"But why?"

"Just don't! Sakura-chan, please!"

Something in Naruto expression makes her stomach turn. She hesitates. The desperate look he's giving her is shattering her heart; for a few moments, she keeps wondering, why, Naruto, why, he loves you so much, he's almost like a brother to you, but all those questions are meaningless - she can feel herself giving in already. When she finally nods her head in reluctant defeat, Naruto gives her a big grateful smile. "Thank you, Sakura-chan, you really are a friend."

"You have to stay at my place then," she says. "You're right about my parents and I'm so sorry, Naruto, but I'll talk to them. They're really kind, they just-"

"No, Sakura-chan," Naruto interrupts, "if you're my friend, you won't make me do that either."

She fumes up. Does he even know what a friend is?! "Naruto, why?"

"It's humiliating," he answers simply. Sakura stares at him, caught by surprise. "I can't, Sakura-chan. I know your parents are good people, but... the way they would look at me... I wouldn't be able to take it, you know? I'm nothing but a demon to them. So please, don't do anything. I'll be okay, I promise."

"You can't," she chokes, almost crying again, "you can't stay out on the street for a month."

"Oh, it won't be a month!" Naruto says, giving her a reassuring grin. "It'll be five days only! Then I'll be assigned a temporary room I can live in until my flat is okay. It takes so long because of paperwork, I think, but I'm not really sure. The chunin I talked to just said to come back in a week or so."

"Naruto," Sakura breathes. She's about to continue arguing, even though she really knows it's pointless, when she senses a slight movement to her left. Both her and Naruto turn around, startled, ready to draw their weapons; they were so invested in their conversation they absolutely forgot to pay attention to their surroundings.

There's no need to worry, though. It's just Uchiha Sasuke, staring at them with genuine disbelief.

Sakura sees Naruto blink in confusion. "Sasuke! Hey there, bastard."

Sasuke seems to come back to his senses after that. "Am I interrupting something?" he asks. His voice is... not flat, actually? Now that is something way out of ordinary. In fact, Sasuke looks really weird in general: he appears to be feeling something, which is a sight so rare it almost makes Sakura worry. She's not sure what emotion is his face supposed to convey, though. She turns to Naruto, hoping she'll find an explanation for Sasuke's odd behavior there, but Naruto is just Naruto, perhaps only filthier than what he usually looks. Did the dirt make Sasuke freak out? She checks out his clothing, scanning for any big stains - maybe Sasuke mistook some of them for blood, who knows - and as she's looking at the bottom part of his jacket, she lowers her gaze at her hands, still holding Naruto's.

Oh.

After that, everything is very easy to figure out. She looks at Naruto's flushed face next, still heated up from their argument; at the way their knees are touching; at the distance between their bodies - or rather lack of one, actually. She glares at the empty bento container and the general mess everywhere around them. She glares at the sky, cursing everything and everyone in the whole Konoha, in the whole damn world, in the whole wide universe.

"Are you looking for something, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asks, blissfuly oblivious.

Yeah.

She won't even bother trying to explain.

* * *

NOTES:

Okonomiyaki is a Japanese savory pancake containing a variety of ingredients.  
pThank you so much for reading, everyone! This one's going to be a fun one, so buckle up. I hope you guys enjoyed the Sakura POV - she won't be that prevalent in the later chapters, but I just couldn't pass on the opportunity to write Naruto/Sakura friendship.  
p*whispers* Also, jealous Sasuke is a speciality of mine.


	2. Chapter 2

When Naruto sighs for the fourth uninterrupted time in a row, they're already two hours into their daily morning routine: a long, hopeless wait for their dearest sensei.

"Quit whining," Sakura orders, poking Naruto in the shoulder. "I promised you I won't tell Iruka-sensei, but Kakashi-sensei has to know." When he gives her no answer, her voice gains an insistent edge. "And no arguing with that, alright?"

Naruto murmurs something inaudible and shoots a grumpy gaze towards Sasuke, who is leaning on a tree nearby. Even if it doesn't seem so, the distance between Sasuke and the rest of his teammates is carefully measured: it's big enough for to be considered far, but not big enough for him to seem completely isolated. Sakura traces Naruto's glare, her eyes lingering on Sasuke's slouched figure, and pokes Naruto again, this time with almost no force whatsoever.

"You gotta tell him too, Naruto," she insists softly. "He's a part of our team as well."

"Yeah," Naruto mutters, "but more importantly, he's a bastard. Why would I even bother? He'll just make fun of me, and I really don't need that right now, you know."

For a second, Sakura hesitates. Naruto's voice doesn't sound bitter or angry, just sad - and that hurts her more than she'd like to admit. She shakes her head in disagreement, gently squeezing his arm with her small fingers.

"Naruto... I understand how you feel, but... look, I know he acts like a jerk sometimes, but he doesn't have it easy either. I think you should believe in him a little more, okay? Maybe he'll surprise you. I'm sure he has good in him somewhere, cuz all people do."

"He thinks I'm worthless," Naruto answers quietly, and Sakura goes silent.

"I don't think that's true, but if it is, we'll prove him wrong," she says eventually. Naruto's lifts his head and gives her a stunned look, a lovely spark passing through his bright eyes. She smiles at him gently, cheeks flushing with sudden warmth; at twelve, Sakura is old enough to recognize hope when she sees it, and she is old enough to realize that she likes the way hope looks on Naruto a lot. Sometimes it lights him up like a firework, but right now, it lights him up like the sunrise lights up the world - in such a pretty and simple way it wouldn't light up anyone else.

Indeed, it lights him up like it wouldn't light up anyone else, except maybe...

Both of them resume staring at Sasuke again, their gazes matched to near perfection. They keep gawking for a long while - and they would keep gawking for much longer, if the weight of their prominent staring didn't make Sasuke grow increasingly uncomfortable, eventually causing him to snap.

"You need something?" Sasuke asks, his tone rather irritated and hostile.

The two of them shake their heads wordlessly, hastily turning away.

* * *

"We've been waiting for three hours," Sakura says, voice perfectly calm. "Three hours, sensei. Three. Hours."

"Maa," Kakashi yawns, "is it really noon already?" When Sakura stays dangerously silent, he scratches his head, the smile under his mask turning slightly strained. "You see, Sakura-chan, this morning the roof of my apartment caved in and-"

"Stop right there! Have some shame and quit stealing Naruto's excuses!"

Sakura stills in surprise when Naruto starts laughing, his head thrown back slightly, white pointy teeth flashing inside his grinning mouth. Behind him, Sasuke shifts awkwardly, but says nothing. Kakashi gives Naruto a very curious look, patting Sakura's head in a weak attempt at peacemaking; he fails spectacularly, for the gesture makes Sakura squeal in outrage instead, her tiny body launching itself at his right arm.

"You're quite in a good mood today, aren't you, Naruto?" Kakashi asks, casually avoiding all Sakura's efforts to break his hand.

"Can a mood be good after a three-hour wait?" Naruto jokes and giggles again.

"It can, apparently," Sasuke notes, his voice not betraying even the slightest hint of interest.

Naruto snarls at him and searches his face for any trace of resentment; when Naruto doesn't find anything suspicious, his foxy grin worms its way back to his features. "I dunno," he says happily, "it's just... you guys keep doing this again and again." He vaguely gestures to Kakashi and Sakura, who now look sincerely puzzled. "Kakashi-sensei comes late as heck, Sakura-chan chews him out, and then the next morning it all repeats again, and again, and again... it never really changes. It's kinda cute, ya know? How some things always stay the same."

Sasuke lets out something close to a chuckle, but it's not a hostile sound, so Naruto lets it slip. Sakura doesn't: she gives Sasuke a careful, inquiring glance, her fingers still bending Kakashi's arm in odd angles.

"I see that the wait made you descend into philosophical deliberation," Kakashi says and finally manages to wiggle his limb out of Sakura's deadly hold. "I'm sure some physical labor will help you clear your head, and luckily, I have exactly what the doctor ordered." He shoves his hands into pockets, nonchalantly ignoring Sakura's offended shrieks. "Come on, folks, I'll tell you about the mission while we're on the way."

"Kakashi-sensei, wait," Sakura huffs. She dashes after him, trying to catch up, but no matter how hard she tries to match her pace with his, a considerable distance still remains. She stops, a yelping Naruto bumping into her back, and stomps her feet in rightful anger.

"I said wait! I'm not hunting you down, sensei, I just wanna talk!"

She has no difficulty reaching him after that. When she lets out a tired exhale, Kakashi's eye twinkles in mischief.

"We need to work on your stamina, Sakura-chan," he teases playfully, but Sakura is already too lost in thought to return his friendly needling. When she looks up at him, her lips are pressed into a thin line, her soft feminine features hardened by fierce determination.

"We need to tell you something," she says quietly, "something really important."

Kakashi quirks an eyebrow at that. "We?" he asks, and suddenly there's a whirl of orange by Kakashi's left. Naruto huffs and sneezes, rubbing his nose with his filthy hand.

"Yeah," he says, "it's more about me than Sakura-chan, actually." He gives her a slightly accusing glare, but Sakura pretends not to notice, staring Kakashi straight into the eye.

"You have to promise not to tell Iruka-sensei, though," she says, her tone confiding.

"Or the old man," Naruto adds hastily. "Or... you know what? Don't tell anyone at all, sensei. Just in case."

"Maa, guys," Kakashi frowns, "are you asking me to keep secrets from the Hokage-sama himself?"

"We didn't do anything bad!" Naruto shrieks and digs his fingers into Kakashi's arm. He winces at the touch, muttering silent curses under his breath. Damn, what is it with these kids constantly assaulting him today? "It's..." Naruto hesitates and releases his hold. "It's about my flat."

Caught by surprise, Kakashi stops walking and turns his head to Naruto. "About your flat?

Sakura runs a small circle around them and steps on Naruto's side, clutching her hands to her chest. Naruto glances at her, then sighs, rubbing the back of his head.

"Ihavenowheretostay," he grumbles, and Kakashi stares at him, dumbfounded.

"Excuse me?"

"I have nowhere to stay," he repeats, this time slower, his gaze glued to the ground. "I found out yesterday night. My apartment will be okay in a month or so, and I'll be assigned a room to stay in until the repairs are done, but... I'll have to wait for it... for the room. Five days, I think? Ya, it will take some time. Because of paperwork, I guess." Sakura is nodding vigorously, her hair turning into a bright pink blur. "And I, uh, I don't have enough money to rent anything, cuz I've kept all my savings in my flat, so they're gone forever. And I have no insurance. Yeah, that's all." He looks at Sakura, his eyes dark with discomfort. "Now you know."

"I see." A pause. "Where did you sleep tonight, then?" Kakashi asks, his voice perfectly even.

Before Naruto can even open his mouth, Sakura is already answering for him. "He slept in the forest," she spits out angrily. Kakashi's eye flashes with something unpleasant, and Naruto can't help but recall the deadly way Sakura glared at him earlier this morning. He gulps and warily backs away from both of his teammates. How the hell can two completely different people give him the exact same murderous stare in a timespan of fewer than twenty-four hours?

"Naruto," Kakashi begins, his voice serious; Naruto interrupts him, though, shaking his head fiercely. He knows Kakashi is his sensei and that his word is absolute, but this - this is something he simply can't back off on.

"I know what you're going to say, sensei," Naruto mutters. "But... I just... I don't wanna, okay? As I said, I can't tell Iruka-sensei or old man, so don't even ask me to do that. I can't stay with Sakura-chan and there's no point in forcing me to." He gives Sakura a look, and she rolls her eyes, annoyed. "I'll be fine on my own, so... yeah. I don't wanna sound like I'm begging you or anyone else for help, cuz I really am not. I'm only saying this because you're my team and you should know. That's what Sakura-chan said, and I... agreed, I guess. So ya. Everything's alright."

Kakashi quirks a brow at Naruto's little monologue, his expression unreadable. "Well. You don't know what I was going to say, Naruto, and you're already declining?" Naruto looks up at him, frowning in confusion; Kakashi rubs the back of his neck, yawns, and resumes walking again, looking as laid-back as always. "If you all did well today, I was going to treat you to Ichiraku - but if you really don't want to, Naruto, I take the offer back. As you said yourself, there's no point in forcing you into anything."

Naruto's eyes widen in surprise, and then he smiles, cheeks blushing in gratitude. He squeals loudly, voice full of delight. "Really, sensei? Really? Ichiraku! Hell yeah! Thanks, thank you so much, you're the best!"

Sakura watches Naruto bounce around Kakashi, flailing his arms wildly. (Maa, don't thank me yet, maybe you won't do well enough today and I'll have to change my mind. Do you hear what I'm saying? Naruto? Naruto, calm down-) The back of her head feels a little heavy, and when she turns around to look, her green eyes meet Sasuke's flat gaze. When she realizes that he is standing way closer than she assumed he would be, she blinks in surprise. Did he overhear the conversation? Judging by the contemplative look on his face, it's safe to assume he did. Darn it... Sakura really wanted Naruto to talk to Sasuke in private, but then again... it doesn't matter how Sasuke finds out, right? This is probably still okay, isn't it?

Biting her lip, she silently hopes Naruto will still tell Sasuke himself, even if the latter knows what's going on already. She doesn't really understand why exactly is this so important to her, but it is, and Sakura never gives up on anything that feels this significant and precious. For a brief moment, she considers asking, but quickly decides not to: Sasuke looks thoughtful and sullen, definitely not in the right mood for a conversation. Instead of talking, she flashes him a small encouraging smile; then she takes off running, chasing after her sensei and her best friend.

* * *

Their mission is everything but exciting. Gardening for the elderly Sayako-san is just as boring as they all predicted it would be, but Naruto does not despair: the promise of Ichiraku keeps his spirits up during the whole deal. The garden is huge and full of spiky thorns - they are poking out of the countless rose bushes growing everywhere, and during the first five minutes of their mission, Sakura manages to scratch her calve in a really ugly way.

Eventually, Naruto grows bored with the hoe-work and somehow convinces Sasuke to spar; both boys engage in an intense swordfight, wielding two shovels with badly contained enthusiasm. Sakura seizes the opportunity, ducking into a faraway corner of the garden, scanning the ground for missing gardening supplies. She stumbles across a sleeping Kakashi instead: he is spawled under a cherry tree, hands resting behind his head - and when Sakura hears him snore softly, she can't help but feel a little endeared.

"I'm looking for a fertilizer," she says, sitting next to him and lifting the most recent volume of Icha Icha off his face, "orange bottle, yellow cap. It has blue stripes on it, too. Have you seen it?"

"Maa, Sakura-chan," Kakashi yawns, "it sounds like it is your lovely teammate you are searching for, not a fertilizer."

"Very funny," she mutters, carefully setting the book down. Through the rows of plants, she hears Naruto's excited yelping, which is closely followed by the sounds of two shovels clashing at an admirable pace. Her face widens in a content grin: she's glad Naruto convinced the jerk to have a little fun, even if it still somehow involves violence and fighting.

"It seems that you aren't looking for anything but a little slack, actually," Kakashi teases, a smile twinkling in his eye. Sakura doesn't even bother to object, sticking her tongue out instead. She doesn't keep up her playful facade for long, though: her expression turns distant and serious very soon afterward, brows furrowed with worry.

"Not really, sensei," she says earnestly. "I want to talk."

Kakashi rubs his masked face and sighs. "Is that so, Sakura-chan? Well... I'm listening."

"Sensei," she says, voice quiet, "yesterday, Naruto spend the night in the forest, because he didn't want to ask anyone for help - including me, you, Hokage-sama and Iruka-sensei." There's a heavy knot in her chest, aching while she talks, but she doesn't pay it any mind. "And that's... terrible. He wants to stay in a forest until he gets his new room - and that's at least a week! He'll get very sick if he keeps this up, but I don't think he'll answer to reason: when I came up with a solution, he declined right away, because... because he feels like a bother, even if it's not true at all. If he didn't listen to me, I don't think he will listen to you either... He won't accept money, he's too proud to do that, and he doesn't want to stay at my place because of my parents." She gives Kakashi a pleading look, eyes watery. "You have to help me figure something out, sensei, or he'll end up seriously hurt."

Kakashi sits up, resting his back against the tree.

"Sakura-chan," he begins softly, "first of all, I understand how you feel, but I don't think you should worry about Naruto's health. The boy is a jinchuriki. Have you ever seen him ill? He has been through way worse, yet he was never harmed - the demon's chakra always heals him, even if the damage he suffers is quite significant. Naruto probably doesn't even know what a cold is, so you don't have to concern yourself with his physical well-being. You have to admit it's a bit unreasonable."

Sakura's lip wobbles. "But-"

"But," Kakashi continues, silencing Sakura with a small movement of his palm, "I do agree that he needs a place to stay. Sleeping in a forest won't do him any good, nine-tails or not." He pauses and thinks, wind ruffling his spiky hair; Sakura allows herself to breathe out, the tightness in her heart dissolving slowly. Yes. Kakashi-sensei will help! For a while, she allows a little bit of happiness to nest inside her chest, a relaxing tranquil hanging in the air - a comfortable feeling which, like all good things, doesn't last. Somewhere nearby, Sasuke hisses and thunks Naruto with a heavy blow, a pained screech echoing through the whole garden. Before Sakura can begin pondering the possibility of a mild concussion, Kakashi's eye twinkles, a quick and mischievous thing; within a heartbeat, he leans towards Sakura, who watches him with hopeful curiosity.

"Sakura-chan," Kakashi whispers, "I think I might have an idea."

* * *

Eventually, Naruto grows a little wary of Sakura's prolonged absence. He squints his eyes and scans the surroundings, searching for the familiar blur of pink hair; when he detects nothing, he drops his shovel and unceremoniously dives into the bushes nearby. As he calls out Sakura's name, Sasuke hides his face in his hand, smothering all sounds that could possibly bring disgrace to his family name. It takes him a while to regain his composure, and when he finally does, he decides to distract himself with digging, desperately fighting off the last bits of amusement. Well, there is one thing he has to admit: if Kohonagure was not the Hidden Leaf Village, but an Unpredictably Showing Up And Going Away Again Leaf Village, Naruto would be declared Hokage a long time ago.

"Found it, finally," Kakashi mutters, handing Sakura a bottle of fertilizer. "Here you go, Sakura-chan. And don't worry, alright? I'll figure out a way to make it work." Sakura distantly hums in agreement, crunching next to a rose bush. She pours some of the fertilizer on the roots, hands covered by a pair of enormous garden gloves, her actions closely inspected by Kakashi's keen eye. "Good, just like that," he comments, ignoring the peculiar hustling in the bush to his right. "You're using too much, though, be careful. We don't want those poor plants to die." A pause. "Ah, and now you've missed a spot."

Naruto's face emerges from the leaves, his forehead almost bumping into Sakura's. "Heya," he says, spitting out rose petals and coughing in disgust, "there you are, Sakura-chan! I was wondering where did you go. You've been gone for so long that I got kinda worried." He pauses and gives them a suspecting look, nose scrunched up, his expression noticeably fox-like. "Eh? Kakashi-sensei? What are you two doing over here, hm? Don't tell me you've been slacking off!"

"It's not like you and Sasuke haven't," Sakura notes and spills some of the fertilizer on Naruto's feet. "But if you really need to know, we weren't slacking off at all; sensei wanted me to improve my stamina, so we trained a little. He helped." She turns her head to Kakashi's and gives him a conspiratorial smirk. "Isn't that right, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi doesn't bother to answer, throwing a pair of rakes at her instead.

"Back to work," he orders as he retreats into the shadow of the trees, his book lovingly clutched under his arm.

* * *

When the mission is successfully finished, it is decided that Naruto did do well enough after all. Despite his unreliable personality, Kakashi is a man who can keep a promise: after they complete their report, all four of them plop down at the Ichiraku stand, three pairs of short legs dangling off the high stools.

"Itadakimasu," Naruto grumbles and digs in without any further pleasantries. Sakura murmurs her thanks, following Naruto's example; Sasuke, however, stares at his bowl, visibly unimpressed. While the kids busy themselves with food, Kakashi casually flirts with Ayame-san - his lighthearted teasing makes her blush, and when he begins to act too sweet for her liking, she playfully swats his head with her rag.

By the time Naruto finishes his portion, Sakura is only halfway done. He eyes Sasuke's untouched bowl hungrily, his fingers toying with the chopsticks. Sasuke catches his craving gaze, and after a few seconds of deliberation, he pushes his ramen towards Naruto.

"I don't like noodles," he mutters, "and I'm not that hungry anyway." Naruto looks at him like he is Hashirama Senju in the flesh, and Sasuke immediately feels himself blush under Naruto's starry-eyed gaze. "Just take it, usuratonkachi."

"Thanks, Sasuke," says the usuratonkachi happily and buries his head in the broth, lapping the noodles up like a dog. They are both way too busy to notice the way Sakura smiles into her bowl, glancing at Kakashi's seemingly oblivious expression.

When Sakura finally lets go of her chopsticks, all of her food finished, everyone is more or less content: Naruto is stuffed and satisfied; Kakashi somehow managed to woo Ayame-san on a date; Sakura's eyes are flicking from one boy to another, her face smug and knowing, and Sasuke feels both uncomfortable and comfortable at once, not able to calm down the sudden flush in his cheeks.

"Okay, folks," Kakashi says, winking at Ayame-san for one last time and slapping down a handful of bills, "it's time to wrap this up. Thank you for the meal, Teuchi-san."

"Come again," Teuchi calls, waving his callused hand. Naruto waves back, grinning, and waits for his teammates outside the stand. Sakura hops down next to him, muffling a yawn, stretching her hands above her head; it isn't late yet, but for some reason, she looks quite tired already.

"Did you get enough sleep tonight, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asks, his voice worried. Sakura gives him a look, folding her hands on her chest.

"I certainly got more than you did," she answers strictly. Suddenly, Kakashi emerges by her side, his expression unreadable; his eye, though, is narrowed exactly same way Sakura's are. Naruto sulks under their authoritative gaze, and as the two of them stand tall over his small stature, he can't help but wonder if this is what having parents feels like.

"Now, about your tonight's whereabouts," Kakashi says. His stance is casual, hands in his pockets, but Naruto can't help but feel vaguely intimidated: something seems not quite right, something about the way he talks, and that is more than enough to set him on the edge.

"Yeah?" Naruto asks nervously. Sakura-chan exchanges a brief glance with Kakashi and furrows her brows in resolve. Kakashi's gaze is back on Naruto then, almost as if he got her permission for his further actions, and dear First, Kakashi's gaze is very, very heavy right now - so heavy, in fact, that Naruto unwittingly shivers under its enormous weight.

"Naruto, for your reckless treatment of your own well-being," Kakashi growls, his voice harsh and threating, slowly increasing in volume, "and your distrustful attitude towards your team, I have decided on a punishment!"

A punishment? With a pang of dread, Naruto sees Sakura's eyes widen in shock. Was she in on this with Kakashi after all? She probably was, but whatever they had agreed on, a punishment was obviously not it. Okay, now this is really bad. Naruto shifts his weight from one foot to another, palms unpleasantly sweaty; in a slight state of panic, he recalls Shikamaru complaining about his mom, a distant memory surprisingly relevant to his current situation. One time she got so fed up with his - as Shikamaru quoted - 'general lack of will to do anything', that she grounded him so hard he didn't show up at the academy for a week.

Is this what Kakashi is going to do? Ground him? Do the same Shikamaru's mom did to her misbehaving son? Or could the sensei come up with something even worse?

"You, Naruto," Kakashi continues, lightning cracking in his hair, "are not the only one to be punished, however." Sakura yelps in fear and steps back, almost tripping over her own feet. "Sasuke," Kakashi growls and points at Naruto accusingly, "for your unemphatic treatment of your teammate, who was met with a great tragedy, you shall be punished as well!"

Naruto blinks anxiously and carefully glances over Kakashi's shoulder, eyes squinting.

"Wow, Sasuke, you still here?" he whispers, voice trembling. "Um, cool. I thought you went home already. You probably should have, actually, cuz now we're both going to die."

"Silence," Kakashi orders loudly and slams his left fist into his right hand, "no chatter between the guilty!" He gives both boys a threatening stare, raising his hands into the air. "Your punishment begins now. It is not negotiable by any terms and it will last for as long as I deem necessary, understood?"

Both Sakura and Naruto are now holding onto each other, shaking with fear. Sasuke frowns and shifts into a fighting stance, clearly confused by Kakashi's dramatic performance. "And what exactly is this... punishment?" he asks, his voice tense.

Kakashi raises his hands again, and a powerful thunder fills the air. Sakura shrieks in horror, shielding Naruto with her own body, her arms clutching the back of his jacket; Naruto is hugging her tightly, frantically whispering into her ear. As Kakashi inhales, he claps his palms together; the wind around him raises, cracking with intense electricity. When another thunder comes, this time even louder then the one before, Naruto closes his eyes, clearly giving up on life. It sounds even closer than the one before, undoubtedly dangerous, and as Sasuke's irises flash bright red, Kakashi finally-

"You two will live together at Sasuke's place," he sing-songs sweetly, all traces of previous tension gone, his expression visibly smug even under his mask. The air is calm; the sky is dark but clear, and no way, the birds are chirping, even. The thunder is nowhere to be heard. "A great team-building exercise, ya ne?" He waits and waits for an answer, but the only reply he gets is stunned silence; when his students don't reply even after he pats a completely frozen Sasuke on the head, he sincerely begins to doubt both his teaching methods and himself.

"Come on, guys, lighten up a little," Kakashi says with false cheer, but to no avail. "Okay then. Um. About tomorrow," he coughs weakly, "we meet at the same place, same time, alright? Don't be late, ha ha. I'm looking forward to my amazing mission with my amazing team." After that, he turns around and slowly begins walking away, careful not to make it seem like he is running away, because he absolutely isn't. "Come on, Sakura-chan, I'll walk you home. Goodnight, boys."

"What!" Naruto shouts. "WHAT!"

"Sakura-chan," Kakashi repeats, his voice pleading, "come on. Please?"

When he finally hears Sakura pacing after him, the ground thumping under her heavy steps, he can't help but feel relieved. His gratitude slightly wavers after she pounces on his back with the strength of three adult shinobi, almost tripping him over, and firmly locks her arms around his neck.

"Sensei, ne, sensei," she hisses in his ear, holding on tight, "what was this supposed to mean, sensei?" Kakashi gulps and quickly grabs her legs, hoping to win her sympathy back with a piggyback ride, but the tightening hold around his throat clearly indicates that his move was utterly ineffective.

"Sakura-chan," he wheezes, "you do understand that if I framed my request in any other way than an order, they would never listen, right?"

"I thought you're going to MURDER US! IT LOOKED LIKE YOU WERE GOING TO HIT NARUTO WITH A LIGHTING! He was begging me to scribble his name on the stone of heroes until you finally toned down your damn theatrics! Was this really necessary? Like really, really necessary? You scared us to DEATH!"

Sakura breathes heavily and eases her hold, slowly regaining her lost composure. That's when she notices how tense Kakashi's shoulders are; upon the realization, she halts with fear and regret, cursing herself for such rude and reckless behavior. For a second, Kakashi's fingers dig into Sakura's thin ankles, the uneasiness in the air almost unbearable - but then he begins to laugh softly, shifting the young kunoichi on his back more comfortably.

He laughs and laughs, and he keeps laughing during the whole way, leaving Sakura utterly confused. When they arrive in front of her house, he finally stops, gently setting her down on the ground and patting her head in a warm, friendly gesture.

"Maa, Sakura-chan," he says then, a small smile still audible in his voice, "our team truly is a match made in heaven, isn't it?"

* * *

NOTES:

Remeber how I promised you guys less Sakura? HA! As if. But in all seriousness, this is the last time she'll play a role this big, so make sure to say your goodbyes: from now onto the end, our main focus is the cute SasuNaru y'all came here for.

(Jealous Sasuke is still a thing.)

Also, goddamnit, Kakashi. You should lay off Icha Icha and pick up a copy of "How To Stop Traumatizing Both Your Students And Yourself With Good-Natured Yet Extreme Dad Pranks Vol. 1" instead. Way to remind yourself of Rin AND make poor Nart embrace Death, dude.


End file.
